Public Consultation Process Dail Éireann — 2026-05-13 ============================================================ Niall Collins (FF), Limerick County I thank Deputy Cooney for raising what is a very important matter and giving us the opportunity to update the House. Stakeholder public engagement is one of the most important principles underlining the planning system, with the need for engagement with local communities being of particular importance to enable every citizen to have their say in how their area grows and develops over time. Under the Planning and Development Act 2024, planning authorities are required to consult State agencies, prescribed authorities and members of the public when preparing development plans and determining planning applications. These legal requirements ensure that planning decisions are transparent, sustainable and consistent with national and regional policy objectives. The Planning and Development Act 2024 strengthens the emphasis on a plan-led approach to development, with co-ordinated planning and collaboration between public bodies to identify future requirements for schools, healthcare facilities, transport systems and utilities before major developments are approved. Importantly, the planning process is not limited to institutional consultation alone. Public and community engagement is a core principle underpinning the 2024 Act. Members of the public, community organisations, environmental groups, business interests and other stakeholders have an important role in shaping the future development of their areas. Public participation requirements ensure that communities are given opportunities to engage during the preparation of development plans, local area plans and planning schemes, including in relation to the zoning of land for different purposes. Statutory public consultation periods and engagement initiatives undertaken by planning authorities in developing these plans help to promote accountability and democratic transparency within the planning system, recognising that such plans ultimately guide and inform decision-making on planning applications. The reforms introduced by the Planning and Development Act 2024 seek to create a more coherent, efficient and accessible planning system while preserving strong safeguards for democratic participation and inter-agency co-ordination. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-13/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:03+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-05-13